Chemical grafting of cholesterol on monomer and PDMMLA polymers, a step towards the development of new polymers for biomedical applications.

Racemic α,α,β-trisubstituted β-lactones are the monomer units of poly((,)-3,3-dimethylmalic acid) (PDMMLA) derivatives, new biopolyesters showing great potential for biomedical applications. Using different groups during the synthesis of these β-lactones allows a tailored synthesis of PDMMLA copolymers with adjustable hydrophilic/phobic ratio. The degradation kinetics of the employed material is one of the most important criteria in the development of bioresorbable implants.